Road Trip, Day 1, PDX to Boise
First, a little background on why I am taking this much needed solo road trip to Boise, Missoula, and Spokane. As many of you know, I am a fan of Brandi Carlile's music. I had originally planned to go to just the Spokane show, mostly because it was another show with a symphony and those shows are AMAZING! However, shortly after that date was arranged, more shows in the Pacific NW were added, so I figured why not make a little road trip out of it, see some beautiful country, hear some kick ass music and maybe meet some new people. Today, like any other day I go to a Brandi Carlile concert, was phenomenal in so many ways.
I left the house around 6:15 a.m. this morning and had no problems with traffic in the Portland area. It was amazing. I made it out of Portland and into the beautiful sunrise along the Columbia River Gorge. I had trouble staying on the road, due to all the gorgeous views I was catching out of the corner of my eye.....and not because I was "tweeting" or checking my email on my phone! :) I noticed the new wind turbines just outside of The Dalles (after the requisite stop at Dutch Bros. Coffee)and I would venture to guess they continued through to Pendleton. I haven't been out that direction in a while, so seeing all of them kind of caught me by surprise. As I continued through eastern Oregon, I came across the Blue Mountains and the Wallowa Mountains. I stopped just outside of Pendleton and took some pictures at a viewpoint. I also met some nice cowboys from AZ that had just dropped off some horses and were making their way home.
The second stop was at a rest stop in between La Grande and Baker City. I also stopped in Baker City to get gas and food. For the most part, I limited my stops so I could make better time. I set my cruise control to 70 mph and pretty much stayed at that pace the entire trip. It freaked me out when the speed limit was 75 mph in Idaho and I also lost an hour due to the time change. I arrived in Boise around 3 p.m. MST and promptly found my way to the place I had arranged to stay through the wonders of couchsurfing.com. Lea was a great host, hooked me up with internet and gave me directions to get to the venue.
I made my way to the Knitting Factory. I found on-street parking and started walking to where I thought it was. It's in a weird spot and luckily I had been warned it was, so I was not surprised. I found it, saw there was no line and then made a dash to find coffee. There was a Tully's around the corner....not the best, but it was closest and would allow me to keep an eye on the venue for line formation.
Around 5 p.m., I made my way back to the venue and a line had begun to form. I found my place and promptly started chatting it up with people. The woman standing behind me turned out to be a local musician. Her name is Mel Wade. I even bought one of her CD's!!! She's having a CD release party on Thursday, if you're in Boise. I made friends with the people standing behind her too. They were a family of four with two young girls that were HUGE Brandi fans. This was their first show. I loved the excitement and enthusiasm of these kids.
They opened the doors a little late, around 7:40 p.m. and we were the first ones in and I was a little surprised that there were a lot of people already in there with the VIP passes. I made my way to the front and got a front row seat, Tim's side, no problem! Mel and her friend sat next to me. The Knitting Factory has a strict NO CAMERA policy, but no one was checking bags so I kept my camera with me. I was planning to check it at the coat check if asked, but no one asked, so I kept it! :) Shooting on the sly is a whole other thing, though. I got maybe 10 good pictures. The rest were crap.
Angel Taylor opened the show and did an amazing job. I was really impressed with her set and she even did a cover of "Sex On Fire" by Kings of Leon!! She's giving away her CD at the shows, but unfortunately I didn't get one last night, so hoping to get one in Missoula.
The show was amazing! Brandi relayed many of the same stories she has shared on this tour, including the twins recording in the studio, Phil's obsession with UFO's, the story behind the poster, but added more details regarding her recent recording session with Elton John. Brandi and the Twins were able to see Elton John play and he dedicated "Tiny Dancer" to her.
Three of my favorite quotes of the night:
(someone in crowd) "Play Hallelujah!!!"
(someone else in crowd) "You play what you want Brandi!!"
(someone in crowd) "Play The Story!"
(Brandi) "I can pretty much guarantee you're gonna hear that one tonight"
Brandi talking about the white stretch limo they took to the airport: "Smells a little like stripper in there, not that I would know!"
During "Oh Dear" there was some weird feedback on the mic, so they had to start over. The crowd was loud, but not too disresepectful, and everyone seemed to be having a good time. Everyone was on their feet from "The Story" until the end of the show, which being a seated show, was a big deal.
She didn't really sign after the show, and for good reason. Apparently, they have to go back to Seattle between the Missoula and Spokane shows to meet with a drummer or something along that line. Crazy! I was able to confirm that Allison Miller will be joining them later this summer, which is really, really exciting! She was surprised that I knew who she was! The little kids in the line behind us were able to meet her, which really made me happy.
It was a great show. I met some cool people, had a great time, and once again, was blown away by the Brandi Carlile Band!
Setlist:
Follow
Closer To You/I've Just Seen A Face
Downpour
Have You Ever
Dying Day
Over You
Before It Breaks
Oh Dear
What I Can Say
Late Morning Lullaby
Turpentine
The Story
Jackson
Folsom Prison Blues
Encore:
I Will
Let It Be
I have the official setlist out in the truck, so I will check this in the morning and update as needed. The above setlist is from the audio I bootlegged, which by the way sucks, so it will never see the light of day anywhere else! Sorry!
I left the house around 6:15 a.m. this morning and had no problems with traffic in the Portland area. It was amazing. I made it out of Portland and into the beautiful sunrise along the Columbia River Gorge. I had trouble staying on the road, due to all the gorgeous views I was catching out of the corner of my eye.....and not because I was "tweeting" or checking my email on my phone! :) I noticed the new wind turbines just outside of The Dalles (after the requisite stop at Dutch Bros. Coffee)and I would venture to guess they continued through to Pendleton. I haven't been out that direction in a while, so seeing all of them kind of caught me by surprise. As I continued through eastern Oregon, I came across the Blue Mountains and the Wallowa Mountains. I stopped just outside of Pendleton and took some pictures at a viewpoint. I also met some nice cowboys from AZ that had just dropped off some horses and were making their way home.
The second stop was at a rest stop in between La Grande and Baker City. I also stopped in Baker City to get gas and food. For the most part, I limited my stops so I could make better time. I set my cruise control to 70 mph and pretty much stayed at that pace the entire trip. It freaked me out when the speed limit was 75 mph in Idaho and I also lost an hour due to the time change. I arrived in Boise around 3 p.m. MST and promptly found my way to the place I had arranged to stay through the wonders of couchsurfing.com. Lea was a great host, hooked me up with internet and gave me directions to get to the venue.
I made my way to the Knitting Factory. I found on-street parking and started walking to where I thought it was. It's in a weird spot and luckily I had been warned it was, so I was not surprised. I found it, saw there was no line and then made a dash to find coffee. There was a Tully's around the corner....not the best, but it was closest and would allow me to keep an eye on the venue for line formation.
Around 5 p.m., I made my way back to the venue and a line had begun to form. I found my place and promptly started chatting it up with people. The woman standing behind me turned out to be a local musician. Her name is Mel Wade. I even bought one of her CD's!!! She's having a CD release party on Thursday, if you're in Boise. I made friends with the people standing behind her too. They were a family of four with two young girls that were HUGE Brandi fans. This was their first show. I loved the excitement and enthusiasm of these kids.
They opened the doors a little late, around 7:40 p.m. and we were the first ones in and I was a little surprised that there were a lot of people already in there with the VIP passes. I made my way to the front and got a front row seat, Tim's side, no problem! Mel and her friend sat next to me. The Knitting Factory has a strict NO CAMERA policy, but no one was checking bags so I kept my camera with me. I was planning to check it at the coat check if asked, but no one asked, so I kept it! :) Shooting on the sly is a whole other thing, though. I got maybe 10 good pictures. The rest were crap.
Angel Taylor opened the show and did an amazing job. I was really impressed with her set and she even did a cover of "Sex On Fire" by Kings of Leon!! She's giving away her CD at the shows, but unfortunately I didn't get one last night, so hoping to get one in Missoula.
The show was amazing! Brandi relayed many of the same stories she has shared on this tour, including the twins recording in the studio, Phil's obsession with UFO's, the story behind the poster, but added more details regarding her recent recording session with Elton John. Brandi and the Twins were able to see Elton John play and he dedicated "Tiny Dancer" to her.
Three of my favorite quotes of the night:
(someone in crowd) "Play Hallelujah!!!"
(someone else in crowd) "You play what you want Brandi!!"
(someone in crowd) "Play The Story!"
(Brandi) "I can pretty much guarantee you're gonna hear that one tonight"
Brandi talking about the white stretch limo they took to the airport: "Smells a little like stripper in there, not that I would know!"
During "Oh Dear" there was some weird feedback on the mic, so they had to start over. The crowd was loud, but not too disresepectful, and everyone seemed to be having a good time. Everyone was on their feet from "The Story" until the end of the show, which being a seated show, was a big deal.
She didn't really sign after the show, and for good reason. Apparently, they have to go back to Seattle between the Missoula and Spokane shows to meet with a drummer or something along that line. Crazy! I was able to confirm that Allison Miller will be joining them later this summer, which is really, really exciting! She was surprised that I knew who she was! The little kids in the line behind us were able to meet her, which really made me happy.
It was a great show. I met some cool people, had a great time, and once again, was blown away by the Brandi Carlile Band!
Setlist:
Follow
Closer To You/I've Just Seen A Face
Downpour
Have You Ever
Dying Day
Over You
Before It Breaks
Oh Dear
What I Can Say
Late Morning Lullaby
Turpentine
The Story
Jackson
Folsom Prison Blues
Encore:
I Will
Let It Be
I have the official setlist out in the truck, so I will check this in the morning and update as needed. The above setlist is from the audio I bootlegged, which by the way sucks, so it will never see the light of day anywhere else! Sorry!